Lenten Advice: 10 Ways to Withstand Satan

March 08, 2001
| 1216 hits

ROME, MAR. 8, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Satan is indeed real, and he is out there waiting to make us fall, a Church leader warns his flock.

To help the faithful of his archdiocese live Lent more intensely, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Genoa, Italy, has published a message about man´s "great Tempter."

With the document, the cardinal offers 10 proposals to withstand the devil. The first is: "not to forget that the devil exists." The cardinal notes: "The first lie, of which we are often victims, is to make us believe he does not exist."

Second, the cardinal proposes that the faithful "not forget that the devil is a tempter." Third, he reminds readers that the devil is "very intelligent and astute." Fourth, the cardinal advises his flock to "be vigilant," since the devil goes about, in the words of St. Peter´s First Letter, like "a roaring lion seeking someone to devour."

Fifth advice: "Believe firmly in Christ´s victory over the tempter." Sixth: "Christ makes us participate in his victory."

The seventh counsel is to "listen to the Word of God," resisting the enemy "firmly in the faith." The eighth is to "be humble in mortification," as temptation is always "a call to follow the path of egoism."

Suggestion No. 9: "Pray without ceasing." Finally, Cardinal Tettamanzi asks that the faithful to "adore the Lord our God and worship him only."